Your second photo above shows cardboard inside of the electrical panel, perhaps stuck there to hold a neutral or ground cable to one side in the enclosure. Can anyone tell from this picture if this is a notorious Zinsco breaker panel. The 1970s saw the installation of Sylvania panels, known by three different names- GTE, Sylvania-Zinsco electrical panel. My electrician told me they were Zinsco and had to be replaced. 4. CONTACT Us with field reports and photos. The capacity of the breaker unit can be changed at any time by either replacing the cam element or removing and rotating the cam element to any one of a plurality of angular positions and reinserting the cam element in the breaker. It's easy and unmistakable. 20 days ago. Apologies for the delay. 1. An electrician needs to look with care at this panel for any immediate safety hazards, pending its replacement. Photographs of Zinsco Sylvania and GTE Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel labels below were provided courtesy of J. P. Simmons. "Simplified Electrical Wiring," Sears, Roebuck and Co., 15705 (F5428) Rev. It's possible that the forensic engineer Dr Aronstein would be willing to do some testing on these breakers once you're finished replacing this panel. Replacing a Zinsco breaker panel is often worth it, as the older panels can be unreliable and may not meet current safety codes. Those red and light blue (?) Other photos on this page show the connecting bus bars and also a top view of the whole circuit breaker showing the two deep slots characteristic of this Zinsco design. Federal Pacific Electric panels were produced from the mid-1950s well into the 1980s. Here we provide text, labels, and equipment photographs used to help identify Zinsco and GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco electrical panels and circuit breakers, and we include photographs of a Zinsco look alike marketed by Kearney. In addition, Zinsco panels typically have the logo at the top of the panel. Joe JRL Electric Supply said: the circuit breaker colors and other external details permit the inspector to identify the problem Zinsco-design electrical panel bus and circuit breaker materials. Federal Pacific Electric panels may not meet today's updated safety codes. Production was halted when design flaws were discovered. This website discusses the electrical, fire, and shock hazards associated with Zinsco electrical components, Home inspectors often call out the dangers of a Zinsco style panel during a home inspection. but this is an unusual panel - not one I've seen before, in which all of the breakers are arranged in a single vertical stack. Below is a Zinsco HQGF20 GFCI circuit breaker with a black toggle switch. Thanks so much, this is a great service you are providing! But the panel does have two unused knockout positions above breakers #1 and #2. Does the home you are buying have a Zinsco panel? ML12(12-24)C (Indoor) - Mod. On 2021-08-25 by inspectapedia.com.moderator (mod). WA Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board. For people who are too poor to make their homes safer by replacing questionable electrical equipment we suggest some initial or temporary hazard reduction measures: I was reading information on your website about Zinsco panels but I can't determine if my main panel and sub-panel inside the house are the affected panels. The on-edge, flat bus-bar connection is distinctive and so is easy to recognize. The following panels are considered out of date or have been involved in an electrical panel recall: Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok panels. Below are links to pictures of my electrical panel. It is from 1975. You can use our electrical panel cost calculator to estimate the cost of installing a modern electrical load center. These are just as prone to safety issues and frequent malfunctions. By 1961 Zinsco had switched to an aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of panels and load-center busing. Although sometimes brand names change at the border. Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response. For example we often find burned breaker-to-bus connections that are not visible until the breakers have been removed. 400 amps - $2,300 to $4,200. It drops a dead short across the circuit and measures trip current and time to trip. Just below, the photo of a recent GTE Sylvania Zinsco circuit breaker burn-up is shown here courtesy of Jeff Weissman and observed, he reports, in a GTE-Sylvania electrical panel. Since Milbank still uses a Zinsco design breaker, prefer to keep them on my "do not buy" list. However, they can still be found in older homes and properties built before 1990. Photographs contributed to this website by Jim P. Simmons, Mr. Electric, Licensed Master Electrician, US $19.5 Free shipping for many products Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1 Zinsco Rc38-15 RC3815 15 Amp 2 Pole Tandem Twin Circuit Breaker 120/240 VAC at the best online prices at . . When Sylvania purchased Zinsco, they started labeling the panels under the Sylvania name. There were problems found with our air handlers and they were wondering if that is what caused this Ark. 390-205-09 on a label which has the bottom left corner torn off. Pushmatic. Zinsco 100-125 amp Circuit Breaker Panel Dead Front Cover $125.00 $28.75 shipping ZINSCO DEAD FROT COVER 125A 120/240V 1 PH 16 SPC LONG 19 3/8 WIDE 6 $125.00 $28.75 shipping Zinsco Magnetrip Load Center Panel Cover Dead Front $74.95 $24.99 shipping ZINSCO SWITCHGEAR COVER 600A MAX. Or if your electrician doesn't know how to look at the Zinsco breakers we've illustrated, have her take some sharp photos of all sides of the breaker and email them to me. toggle switch colors and unique labels should be sufficient for most inspectors and owners to identify this equipment. Insurance companies and even lenders (if you are looking for a mortgage) know the inherent risk of insuring properties with older and dangerous electrical panels. The manufacturer is KO Instruments. Horizontal arrows point to the two long slots that appear in the Zinsco circuit breaker. 1320 Dayton Street SE, Olympia, WA 98501, 360-705-4225, Fax 360-705-0130 or by email to, Thanks to various electricians, home owners, and home inspectors for contributing the Zinsco Sylvania-Zinsco electric panel and circuit breaker, Thanks to Joe Funderburk, Replacing the panel can help improve the electrical systems overall performance and ensure it functions correctly. Some Zinsco / Zinsco-Sylvania GFCIs follow the color conventions we show above, But others do not. Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. The copper shortage of the 1960's was primarily caused by the US . Personal communication, J. Aronstein to D. Friedman, 3/6/2006, James P. Simmons: Personal communication and photographs used in this article series, J. Simmons to Daniel Friedman, 3/4/2006, 2/19/2008. 40 A - Light Gray Toggle Handle Part # RC38-40, 50A - Black Toggles, Part # RC38-50 - shown above, 60A - White Toggle or handle, Part # RC38-60 (not shown in the photo above). "Electrical Systems," A Training Manual for Home Inspectors, Alfred L. Alk, American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), 1987, available from ASHI. So from a legal standpoint, they are considered okay. Help, my parents bought a new solar system and since then my head hurts. Turn Off the Power on All Circuits 2. Hickory Grove, SC for his photos of a Kearney electrical panel. Ok got pix of the stickers -- will add the images. It does day Sylvania and has what I assume is the model number: One of the most common faults of a Zinsco electrical panel is that the breakers . One of my staff accidentally cut the wrong wire. It was also sold under the Kearney brand name. However, if your home was built during these decades, you may well have a Zinsco electrical panel and circuit breakers in your system. I'd be grateful if you'd post your photo and question there. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Zinsco 100 or 125 amp residential Dead Front cover Sylvania GTE. Replacement is not, in this case, recommended. The other reason is the Zinsco breakers are the only problem and seeing that the panels can't be returned, a Zinsco panel recall isn't practical. I'm looking for information on a Zinsco single-phase 400A, 240VAC panelboard with a DS-4564 designation. These are also called cheater breakers. Below we show the interior of this 400Amp Zinsco electrical panel. 2, 225AMPS Max. a picture of the Sylvania sticker and also another one of the whole box. Free shipping for many products! as providing "information systems for the European energy industry and utilities. " 7. Zinsco or Zinsco-Sylvania is the name given to a brand of electrical panel that was commonly installed up to the mid-1970's. It was a very popular product and installed throughout North America. Watch out: do NOT try to open up your panel nor to remove circuit breakers yourself. Q242 [illegible] and continues, stating. Photographs contributed to this website by Jim P. Simmons, Mr. Electric, Licensed Master Electrician, Try posting a larger photo of that detail. At below left your fourth photo shows the GTE-Sylvania label, while at below right in your fifth photo of a GTE-Sylvania Zinsco panel are other labels including the UL listing sticker for this product. Research is underway. Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like. Zinsco Class Action Lawsuit In 2002, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Federal Pacific Electric and Zinsco regarding the danger posed by their electrical panels. The Zinsco panels may work for years, but there is an underlying threat as homes have increased energy demands, these panels may overheat and breaker failure can occur. In 1973, the GTE Corporation launched an electric panel design and called it "Challenger". Will snapmore pix when I can drag myself away from computer. "How to plan and install electric wiring for homes, farms, garages, shops," Montgomery Ward Co., 83-850. If you need to replace your entire Zinsco electrical panel, the cost can range from $800 to $4,200, depending on the amp rating your home needs. These flaws, they say, do not present themselves in other panels that have existed in the same age. GTE-Sylvania / Zinsco Panel Identification Pictures Below is a close-up of the bus connection end of a classic Zinsco circuit breaker - showing the difference between these devices. It is best to avoid buying used Zinsco breakers. If you have either Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels installed in your home, it is highly recommended to have one of our licensed electricians out to your home for evaluation.We will inspect your electrical panel for FREE. When these panels experience a short circuit or an overcurrent, they often fail to cut the power supply to the affected circuit. REally appreciate your feedback(wow, and quick too!). They were legal during the installation and are still legal according to the standard in place at the time of installation. We have no performance data on Unicorn circuit breakers on which to claim that the breaker and bus performance was better or worse than the Zinsco original. [Click to enlarge any image]. I'm a licensed Home Inspector, Certified Professional Inspector (CPI), Certified Master Inspector (CMI), and FHA 203k Consultant. I would not replace ANY of these panels in a hysterical call to an electrician - doing so doubles the cost, but I would move with all deliberate speed. Zinsco electrical panels were distributed in the United States, primarily in the Western states. - Vertical or "on edge" electrical panel bus bars identify a Zinsco design. Watch out: you will also find some 30A - Black toggle Zinsco breakers and 20A black-toggled GFCI breakers that, as you'll see illustrated below on this page. Use Zinsco circuit breakers type Q, Qc, QCN, Q24, Cat. circuit breakers, electrical panels, including The new buyer labeled his company Challenger Electric. What advice can you give me for connecting a generator. 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